Well hello my fellow sewing enthusiasts! I’m Sam and am excited to share a fun little hack with you today.
The Twist it Up Top came out recently and, while it’s really cute, we’ve had several requests for how to move the knot to the side of the shirt. Have no fear….it’s actually easier than you’d expect.
First, you’ll cut your back bodice piece out like normal. For the front bodice piece you’ll just cut it straight across. Do not cut out the knot section of the pattern.
Now take your paper pattern piece and cut out the knot area. You’re going to trace it on the fold so it’s mirrored.
Lay your front pattern piece out flat and position your new mirrored knot piece slightly to the right or left depending on which side you want your knot on. A little tip here, don’t put it too close to the side seam. If you do it’ll pull that side seam a little more than you’d like and make it more difficult to sew the front and back bodice pieces together. Even mine in the pic is a little further to the side than it really needed to be. (lesson learned after the fact….you’re welcome...hehe)
You will now use you’re pattern weight to hold the new knot piece down and cut the whole thing out.
Continue the pattern from the first step on page 13 to complete the knot and finish your shirt.
So….now you’re thinking “this is cool...wonder if i could put it on a different EAM shirt I like?”
I gotcha…...
In this example, I used the Discoverer Tee. A couple of tips here. This pattern is more fitted than the Twist It Up Top so that will affect how the knot lays and how snug the hip section is.
In the future, I would widen the bottom of the front bodice a little to compensate for this. You can grade it out some or do a slash and spread method. Just be careful you don’t lengthen the side seam of the front piece or it won’t match up with the back.
Also, the length of this pattern is shorter than the Twist it Up. The knot will pull your hem up some so be aware of that when you’re putting the knot on another pattern. You can always lengthen it a little. Any lengthening will need to be done to the front and back bodice.
Last tip…...fabric type will make a big difference. Something like rayon spandex is going to lay nice and drapey. However, something with cotton will lay stiffer. They both work as long as the stretch percentage is correct but will give you slightly different looks. (see the finished pics at the end of the post)
Now that I’ve filled you with tips let's continue with our knot on the Discoverer Tee.
Get your front bodice piece for the pattern you’ve picked ready. Find that mirrored knot piece and lay it on the bottom of your front bodice. You can put it wherever you like, side or middle.
Now cut it out and follow the Twist it Up pattern instructions for the knot construction. Complete your shirt using it’s instruction after that.
Now you’re thinking “Oh wow that’s so CUTE….I wish I could make one for my kid”.... I’ve got you covered.
In this example, I used the Kids Discoverer Tee. The tips I gave earlier still apply. For a more fitted style shirt consider slightly widening the bottom of the front bodice piece, consider the length of the pattern you’ve selected and remember that the drape of your fabric will affect the look of the knot. For this example, I used cotton spandex for the bottom and did not adjust the width of the pattern.
You’ll want to find the pages that the knot is on for the Twist it Up Top. (pages 13 and 16)
I printed these pages at 75% (instead of the usual 100%) in order to shrink it down for a kids’ size. In my example, I printed the size L at 75%. You can see in the picture the difference between the 2 sizes.
You will follow the same steps as above. Trace your knot pattern piece mirrored and place it on the bottom of the front bodice piece. You can put it wherever you’re little heart desires (side or middle).....but remember don’t put it too close to the side seam.
Follow the same steps for the knot construction found in the Twist it Up Top pattern instructions.
Now let’s take a look at some finished shirts.
These are the original Twist it Up top with the knot moved to the side.
These are the Women’s Discoverer Tee with the knot added.
These are the Kid’s Discoverer Tee with the knot added.
Now you can go and KNOT all the shirts you want!
Happy Sewing!!!!!!
(Written by Samantha Hardcastle)
The Twist it Up Top came out recently and, while it’s really cute, we’ve had several requests for how to move the knot to the side of the shirt. Have no fear….it’s actually easier than you’d expect.
First, you’ll cut your back bodice piece out like normal. For the front bodice piece you’ll just cut it straight across. Do not cut out the knot section of the pattern.
Now take your paper pattern piece and cut out the knot area. You’re going to trace it on the fold so it’s mirrored.
Lay your front pattern piece out flat and position your new mirrored knot piece slightly to the right or left depending on which side you want your knot on. A little tip here, don’t put it too close to the side seam. If you do it’ll pull that side seam a little more than you’d like and make it more difficult to sew the front and back bodice pieces together. Even mine in the pic is a little further to the side than it really needed to be. (lesson learned after the fact….you’re welcome...hehe)
You will now use you’re pattern weight to hold the new knot piece down and cut the whole thing out.
Continue the pattern from the first step on page 13 to complete the knot and finish your shirt.
So….now you’re thinking “this is cool...wonder if i could put it on a different EAM shirt I like?”
I gotcha…...
In this example, I used the Discoverer Tee. A couple of tips here. This pattern is more fitted than the Twist It Up Top so that will affect how the knot lays and how snug the hip section is.
In the future, I would widen the bottom of the front bodice a little to compensate for this. You can grade it out some or do a slash and spread method. Just be careful you don’t lengthen the side seam of the front piece or it won’t match up with the back.
Also, the length of this pattern is shorter than the Twist it Up. The knot will pull your hem up some so be aware of that when you’re putting the knot on another pattern. You can always lengthen it a little. Any lengthening will need to be done to the front and back bodice.
Last tip…...fabric type will make a big difference. Something like rayon spandex is going to lay nice and drapey. However, something with cotton will lay stiffer. They both work as long as the stretch percentage is correct but will give you slightly different looks. (see the finished pics at the end of the post)
Now that I’ve filled you with tips let's continue with our knot on the Discoverer Tee.
Get your front bodice piece for the pattern you’ve picked ready. Find that mirrored knot piece and lay it on the bottom of your front bodice. You can put it wherever you like, side or middle.
Now cut it out and follow the Twist it Up pattern instructions for the knot construction. Complete your shirt using it’s instruction after that.
Now you’re thinking “Oh wow that’s so CUTE….I wish I could make one for my kid”.... I’ve got you covered.
In this example, I used the Kids Discoverer Tee. The tips I gave earlier still apply. For a more fitted style shirt consider slightly widening the bottom of the front bodice piece, consider the length of the pattern you’ve selected and remember that the drape of your fabric will affect the look of the knot. For this example, I used cotton spandex for the bottom and did not adjust the width of the pattern.
You’ll want to find the pages that the knot is on for the Twist it Up Top. (pages 13 and 16)
I printed these pages at 75% (instead of the usual 100%) in order to shrink it down for a kids’ size. In my example, I printed the size L at 75%. You can see in the picture the difference between the 2 sizes.
You will follow the same steps as above. Trace your knot pattern piece mirrored and place it on the bottom of the front bodice piece. You can put it wherever you’re little heart desires (side or middle).....but remember don’t put it too close to the side seam.
Follow the same steps for the knot construction found in the Twist it Up Top pattern instructions.
Now let’s take a look at some finished shirts.
These are the original Twist it Up top with the knot moved to the side.
These are the Women’s Discoverer Tee with the knot added.
These are the Kid’s Discoverer Tee with the knot added.
Now you can go and KNOT all the shirts you want!
Happy Sewing!!!!!!
(Written by Samantha Hardcastle)
